


the spaces between

by ImpishTubist



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-22
Updated: 2014-06-22
Packaged: 2018-02-05 20:01:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1830475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImpishTubist/pseuds/ImpishTubist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An accident brings to light a secret Data and Geordi have been trying to keep for over a year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the spaces between

The observation room just off of Sickbay wasn’t the ideal place for holding a debriefing, but this entire mess of a situation wasn’t ideal in the first place, and Picard had needed to adapt.

 

There were only four of them present. Worf had been left in charge of the bridge, and Doctor Crusher was occupied in Sickbay with the badly injured Geordi La Forge. Data, who had seen better days himself, was standing so that he could see through the window and watch the flurry of activity around La Forge’s biobed. Picard, Riker, and Troi formed a semicircle around him. An engineer was scanning Data with an engineering tricorder, pausing every now and then to effect repairs to his synthetic skin. 

 

“From the beginning, Mr. Data,” Picard said. 

 

Data nodded and took them through the story again. It wasn’t that Picard distrusted Data’s perfect memory recall; he just couldn’t believe that such an ordinary mission had gone so badly so quickly. Data and Geordi had been sent to the surface of an uninhabited Class-M planet to collect samples of a previously-unknown fungus for analysis in the ship’s labs. The rest of the crew had been enjoying some leave. It was a bit of downtime before their patrolling mission was to commence next week, as rumors of possible Borg activity on the outskirts of the Federation’s borders grew more insistent. 

 

But the shuttle had malfunctioned - pilot error was impossible with Data - and gone down in the middle of a jungle, and it had taken rescue teams three days to reach the remote location and extract the two missing crewmembers. 

 

“How long were you unconscious?” Picard asked.

 

“According to my internal chronometer, four hours, three minutes, twenty-seven seconds,” Data answered. 

 

“And how long after that before you found Commander La Forge?”

 

“Approximately sixteen hours.” Data’s eyes tracked a nurse as she hurried across the room, carrying away a basin full of bloody clothing that would go immediately into the incinerator. “His injuries might have been less severe had I found him sooner.”

 

“You did everything you could for him,” Deanna said soothingly. “He’s alive right now thanks to you.”

 

“Data.” They all turned around to see that Beverly had stepped into the room. She was holding a PADD and looking grim. She walked over to them. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to you about Geordi’s injuries. The hand that was crushed - we have two options. The first one is obvious.”

 

“Amputation,” Data said with a curt nod. 

 

“Yes. The second is riskier, but it might save his hand. It’s an experimental procedure that might get rid of the infection and restore circulation to the hand, but it’s not a guarantee. However, if it works, recovery will be rapid. He’ll be back working in engineering by the end of the week.”

 

Picard frowned at her. Usually medical decisions of this magnitude were left up to a ship’s captain when it concerned one of his crew. Family members might technically be listed in the health care proxies on a crewmember’s file, but when time was of the essence, the captain had authorization to make such decisions.

 

Beverly must have felt his confusion, for she looked at him. “Geordi drew up a new health care proxy about six months ago. He appointed Data as the agent who would make medical decisions on his behalf. I have the paperwork, if you need to see it.”

 

He shook his head, too startled to think of a reply.

 

“What are his chances if you attempt to save the hand?” Data asked.

 

“It’s difficult to say. But the infection is spreading quickly. There’s always a risk it could continue unchecked, despite our efforts. Amputation would at least give him a ninety-percent survival rate.”

 

Data nodded briskly. “Amputate the hand.”

 

Picard watched as Deanna’s eyebrows climbed towards her hair. 

 

“Data, are you sure about that?” Riker asked. Data’s unnerving yellow eyes fixed on him.

 

“I am certain,” he said. Beverly nodded.

 

“We’ll get him into surgery right away.” She squeezed Data’s shoulder briefly before going back into Sickbay. Picard had a strange feeling that he had only understood half of the conversation; the other half was what went unsaid, and he couldn’t decipher it. 

 

The engineer who had been quietly working away on Data’s injuries finally spoke up. “Sir, we should get you to engineering for some of these repairs. You have ruptured some vessels, and for lack of a better description, Commander, you’re bleeding internally.”

 

“I am aware of that. I can continue to function normally for the next eighteen hours, however,” Data said. “Thank you for your help, Lieutenant.”

 

“Sir -”

 

“Dismissed,” Data said, and if Picard didn’t know any better, he would have said that the tone was sharp. The lieutenant fled. Deanna put a hand on Data’s arm.

 

“Perhaps you should go down to engineering for a bit and let them see to you,” she suggested gently.

 

“I will leave when Commander La Forge is out of surgery,” Data said. He looked at Picard. “Unless you require more information about the accident, sir.”

 

Picard shook his head and finally found his voice. “No, Data. That’s sufficient for the time being. We’ll resume the debriefing when Mr. La Forge is out of danger.”

 

\-------

 

Geordi was in surgery for the rest of the day, and when Picard went to bed that night, there was still no word on his condition from Sickbay. He woke up to a message from Beverly stating that Geordi was out of danger and that the surgery had been successful, but he was still unconscious. 

 

Picard had given Data the next seventy-two hours off, and so someone else filled his shift on the bridge. Beverly sent a message to Picard’s quarters halfway through beta shift to tell him that Geordi had woken, and he went immediately down to Sickbay. 

 

Deanna was already there, waiting in the observation room. 

 

“They looked pretty intent; I didn’t want to disturb them just yet,” she said, gesturing to the room on the other side of the window. Geordi was not only awake, but he was propped up on the biobed with several pillows, almost in a sitting position, and he was in the midst of a discussion with Data. 

 

In the intervening hours, someone had managed to convince Data to leave Sickbay long enough to shower and change. He was no longer covered in dirt, soot, and Geordi’s blood. He was off-duty, and as such he had opted to change into civvies instead of a clean uniform. He had chosen black trousers and a deep blue shirt. Picard was taken aback by it. He couldn’t recall the last time he had seen Data in civilian clothes.

 

“Doctor,” he said when Beverly stepped into the room. “How is he?”

 

“Fine, all things considered. He should be on his feet again within the next three days,” Beverly said. “I’d let you go in, but Geordi wanted a private word with Data.”

 

“How did Geordi take the news?” Deanna asked.

 

“It took a while to sink in, mostly because he was still coming off the anesthesia,” Beverly said. “He was angry at first, which is normal. I’d have been worried if he wasn’t. But he understands why Data made the call. I think he’s grateful for it now. He was in tremendous pain, and that would have only gotten worse if we had attempted to save the hand.”

 

They lapsed into silence, watching as Geordi and Data talked. Picard wished he had been able to master the art of lip-reading; he wondered what was warranting such an intense conversation, if Geordi was truly as content with Data’s decision as Beverly said he was. 

 

He turned away from the window to ask, “Beverly, do you think -”

 

Deanna gave a small gasp, cutting him off. He looked at her, and then followed her gaze to the window.

 

Data was leaning down over Geordi, and it was obvious, even in the dim light of the room, that they were kissing. Geordi had his left hand in Data’s hair, cupping the back of his head. His bandaged arm lay across his stomach, and Data had a hand resting gently on top of the bandages. The other was braced on the biobed.

 

They drew back for a beat. Geordi kept his hand in Data’s hair and spoke a few more words; Data answered them with another kiss. Then he straightened, and Geordi settled back against his pillows. 

 

“Perhaps we’ll come back later,” Picard said at last, and Deanna nodded. 

 

\--------

 

“Thoughts?” Picard asked Deanna as they made their way back to deck two.

 

“I never knew about this, if that’s what you’re asking,” she said. “I can’t say that I’m surprised, however.”

 

“Aren’t you?” Picard rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “I certainly am.”

 

“Because Geordi’s with a man when up until now he has only shown interest in women, or because he’s with an android?” Deanna phrased the question as though she already knew what was bothering him. Picard nodded to himself.

 

“You’re right, of course. I shouldn’t be thinking of Mr. Data as anything other than a man, and thus this shouldn’t be all that surprising, given that they have always been close. Though it does put me in a rather difficult position. Technically, Data outranks Commander La Forge. Officially, my options are, either I ask them to stop their association or I transfer one of them to another assignment.”

 

“Unless Geordi isn’t able to resume his duties due to the nature of his injury and is forced to take a medical discharge,” Deanna pointed out. Picard inclined his head. That was true enough, though he hoped it would not be the case.

 

“I have to think about what would be best for this crew,” Picard said, lowering his voice as a couple of crewmen passed them. “I can’t have two officers on my senior staff who are together and thus might risk disobeying orders if one or the other is in danger.”

 

“They’ve obviously been involved for some time, and neither of them has ever done such a thing,” Deanna pointed out. They reached a turbolift. “Think about it before you make any rash decisions, Captain.”

 

“Believe me, Counselor, I have no intention of trying to tackle this one until Geordi is ready to resume his duties.”

 

He was in his Ready Room the next morning when the door chimed, and he called for it to open without looking up from his reading. 

 

“Captain.” Data crossed the room and stood in front of his desk. “May I have a word?”

 

Picard gestured for him to take a seat and set his PADD aside. “What can I do for you, Commander?”

 

“I know you are aware of what transpired in Sickbay. I must ask what you intend to do with that knowledge.”

 

Picard leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers together and regarding Data carefully. He hadn’t been prepared to have this conversation just yet. 

 

“First off, Commander,  relax ,” he said at last. Data was sitting stiffly in the chair, even more so than was normal for him. “To be perfectly honest, I hadn’t thought about it. I don’t think it’s something we need to discuss until Commander La Forge is fully recovered and ready to return to duty.”

 

“I am his superior officer,” Data went on, as though Picard hadn’t spoken. “You must punish me, not him.”

 

Picard held up his hand, stopping Data from saying any further. “Data, have some perspective. There are increasing tensions with the Romulans, the Cardassians are a growing threat, and another Borg invasion could happen any day. I’m not in the habit of punishing people for daring to fall in love. I have better and more important things to do with my time. But I admit to being curious, if you wouldn’t mind indulging me.”

 

He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his desk. “How long has this been going on?”

 

“Approximately seventeen months, nine days, four hours -” Data cut himself off. “Nearly eighteen months, Captain.”

 

Picard did the mental calculation. “That would have been… right around the time Kivas Fajo kidnapped you.”

 

Data nodded. “Yes. Geordi and I had a number of discussions in the days after I was returned to the ship. It seems that he saw my return as a ‘second chance,’ as he put it. He thought I was dead, and it led to the realization that he had a number of regrets. When it turned out I was actually alive, he didn’t want to run the risk of having those regrets again.”

 

“And how do you feel about the situation?’

 

“I am incapable of feeling,” Data said automatically. Picard let the silence stretch out. After a moment, Data added, “However, I find that I am now accustomed to his new role in my life, and I do not want that to change.”

 

“Do you love him, Commander?”

 

Data stared at him for a long moment. 

 

“If there’s nothing else to discuss about the situation, Captain, I should return to my quarters,” he said abruptly, getting to his feet. Picard nodded, dismissing him.

 

\--------

 

Geordi spent the next forty-eight hours mostly unconscious, according to Beverly. On the fourth day of his stay in Sickbay, he was well enough to talk, and Beverly invited Picard down for a short stay. She made it very clear that he wasn’t to tax her patient, though, and that she would be kicking him out after thirty minutes, no exceptions.

 

“Mr. La Forge,” Picard greeted as he approached the biobed. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Less handy than I used to be,” Geordi said with a crooked smile. He offered his left hand, and Picard clasped it briefly. “Doctor Crusher thinks I’ll be able to be released tomorrow.”

 

“I’m delighted to hear that,” Picard said. “She mentioned something to me about you needing to be transferred to Starbase 24 in order to be outfitted with a prosthesis?”

 

Geordi nodded. “They’re best equipped to deal with injuries like this, and it could take weeks for them to modify the prosthesis so that it works with my biology. And then there’s the physical therapy…”

 

He trailed off, waving his hand vaguely. “I wish there was another way around it, sir, but you’re going to be without me for at least two months. And I understand if that’s too long, and you’d rather have me assigned elsewhere permanently.”

 

Picard shook his head. “No, of course not. We’ll assign a temporary chief engineer to serve in your place until you can return. We’re going to be rendezvousing with the  Antietam  in two days. They’ll take you the rest of the way to Starbase 24.”

 

“Thank you, sir,” Geordi said quietly.

 

“And one last thing, Mr. La Forge - I’m sending Data with you.”

 

Geordi frowned. “I appreciate the thought, sir, but I don’t need a babysitter.”

 

Picard shook his head. “I’m not sending him because I think you need the help, Geordi. I’m sending him because he’s your partner… and he should be there.”

 

He watched Geordi’s face for a reaction. There wasn’t much of one, except for Geordi’s lips thinning. He looked ready to go on the defensive.

 

“Did he tell you?”

 

“The two of you did, actually, though not with words,” Picard said. “I stopped by to visit at an inopportune time not long after you woke up.”

 

“I see.” Geordi smoothed his hand over the blankets that covered his legs. “And what do you think you’ll do about it?”

 

This time, Picard actually had an answer. “Nothing, Mr. La Forge. You both have been astoundingly discreet. You hardly could have known that I would have chosen that moment to come to Sickbay. As far as anyone else is concerned, I saw nothing but two friends chatting.”

 

Geordi nodded. “I appreciate that, sir. To be honest, Data’s the one who - for lack of a better term - is paranoid about someone finding out. He seems to think that I’ll either be stripped of my rank or transferred elsewhere or - I don’t know - thrown in the Brig. For someone who claims he doesn’t have an imagination, he’s been putting it to good use.”

 

“He did come into my Ready Room and try to take the fall for it,” Picard said. Geordi snorted. 

 

“Sounds like him. How much did he tell you?”

 

“Very little,” Picard said, which upon closer thought was strange for Data. “He said it all began after the incident with Kivas Fajo. What’s it like?”

 

He hadn’t meant to ask that, but then the words were out. Geordi didn’t appear fazed by it. 

 

“Not much different than before,” he said. “More - well. Just _more_ , I guess. I see him more often now, obviously. We have meals together, share a bed. He doesn’t sleep, but he’ll stay over anyway, because he knows I like it. We talk. Go on dates to the holodeck. We’ve even discussed taking leave together sometime next year, though we were trying to figure out how to manage it without making anyone suspicious. I suppose that’s a moot point now.”

 

Geordi sighed, a slight smile curving his lips. His voice sounded far away. “He was always there, you know. He was my best friend before all this; still is. But now it’s so much _more_. Whatever spaces there were in my life, gaps and emptiness… he’s filled them.”

 

He worried a thread on the blanket with his remaining fingers and said, “I don’t think I’m making much sense.”

 

“No,” Picard said. “You are. It makes perfect sense, Mr. La Forge.”

 

Geordi was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “Did you know he’s turned down half a dozen positions on other ships so he can stay on this one?” At Picard’s dumbfounded look, he added, “Yeah, he’s pulling a Riker on you. He keeps getting offers to be first officer on other vessels. Starfleet is eager to promote him. They can’t wait to give him his own commission. First android captain? Talk about revolutionary. But he won’t leave this ship while I’m still here. Not that I _want_ him to leave, but I also don’t want him holding his career back because of me. Seems a bit sentimental of him, doesn’t it?”

 

Picard could think of nothing to say, and he wasn’t entirely sure what Geordi was getting at, so he remained silent.

 

Geordi went on, “You know, he’s always insisting that he can’t feel anything. That he doesn’t have emotions. But he’s gone his entire life with people _telling_ him that he doesn’t possess them. So how would he know if those people were wrong? Soong said that he purposely made Data without emotions, but when you create someone as complex as Data is, how can you _ensure_ that they don’t have emotions? Where would you even begin?”

 

“You think he has emotions but he doesn’t know how to recognize them,” Picard realized. “Or they’re so suppressed that he doesn’t really express them.”

 

“I know it doesn’t seem like it, but when it’s just the two of us…” Geordi trailed off, a ghost of a smile on his face. “Yeah, he can feel. I’m certain of it.”

 

The doors behind Picard slid open, and he turned around to see Data standing in the entrance to Sickbay. He was holding a leather-bound book.

 

“Here to save me from death by boredom?” Geordi asked.

 

“I do not believe such a method of death is possible,” Data said. He crossed the room to Geordi’s other side and pulled up a stool next to the bed, perching on it and setting the book in Geordi’s lap. He looked up at Picard. “Did you need something, Captain?”

 

Being dismissed by his second officer - this was a new one. Picard had a hard time finding it anything but endearing. “Not at all, Mr. Data. I was simply inquiring as to how Mr. La Forge was feeling. Have a good evening, gentlemen.”

 

He looked back over his shoulder as he strode from the room, and watched as Geordi opened the book one-handed. Data seemed content simply to keep him company, and he rested a hand on Geordi’s thigh. 

 

Picard shook his head as he left, wondering how he had managed to completely miss the love that was so obviously there. 


End file.
